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A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A R C H 2 0 1 5
2 4
MATERIALS RESEARCH
FOR ADVANCED POWER
ENGINEERING IN EUROPE
From September 15-17, 2014, more than 160 delegates———including researchers from
19 European countries, the U.S., Japan, and India———met in Belgium for the 10th Liège
Conference on Materials for Advanced Power Engineering.
John Shingledecker,* Electric Power Research Institute, Charlotte, N.C.
Amit Shyam,* Yukinori Yamamoto, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tenn.
Bernd Kuhn, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany
T
he Liège Conference, held every
four years, serves as the focal point
for dissemination of research re-
sults from European collaborative proj-
ects on advanced materials technology
in large-scale power generation appli-
cations. The conference was sponsored
by Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germa-
ny, Cranfield University in the UK, and
the University of Liège in Belgium, and
featured invited talks from European
leaders and international experts, along
with a poster session encouraging tech-
nical exchanges among researchers on
specific topics. An electronic volume of
the conference proceedings including
75 papers is available for download
[1]
.
This article presents conference high-
lights, including the current state of Eu-
ropean materials research for advanced
power engineering applications; Eu-
ropean multinational programs in this
area; and critical research topics includ-
ing creep-fatigue, new alloy develop-
ment, and materials developments for
gas turbines.
EUROPEAN LANDSCAPE
Three major themes repeated
throughout the conference involve key
drivers for the European electric gen-
eration industry: Lowering the carbon
footprint through higher efficiency,
more flexible operations, and energy
security. The European Commission’s
(EC’s) energy roadmap lays out clear
goals over the next 35 years with the
ultimate objective of reducing green-
house gases by 80% by 2050, compared
to 1990 levels. As part of the EC’s Hori-
zon 2020 program and Strategic Energy
Technology Plan, the immediate need to
reduce carbon use through higher effi-
ciency is the major topic area for nation-
al programs focused on higher tempera-
ture materials. Additionally, the plan’s
emphasis on renewable energy (wind
and solar) has resulted in a focus and
funding on materials topics related to
the flexibility of both existing and new
large-scale power generation, which
often must respond quickly to grid de-
mands. Concerns over the natural gas
supply in Europe underscore the need
for high efficiency gas turbines and the
desire for fuel diversity.
MULTINATIONAL PROGRAMS
Results from the European Next-
GenPower project, which has a goal of
demonstration and component fabrica-
tion of nickel-base alloys and protective
coatings for fossil-fuel-fired steam power
plants up to 750°C, were also disseminat-
ed at the conference. The current state-
of-the-art ultrasupercritical power plants
operate with main steam temperatures
up to 600°C and reheat temperatures
up to 620°C based on steel technology.
The NextGenPower project is a four-year
initiative that began in 2010 made up of
material suppliers, boiler and steam tur-
bine manufacturers, research institutes
and universities, and a utility from eight
different European countries.
The endeavor follows successful
European efforts to use solid solution-
strengthened nickel-base alloys to
achieve 700°C service. Unique to this
project is its concentration on age-
hardenable alloys for boilers, steam
*Member of ASM International
Alliance Hotel Liège, left, and Palais des Congrês, right, in Liège, Belgium.